OUE is title sponsor of S’pore Open badminton championship

SINGAPORE — Leading public-listed property firm OUE Limited is the new official title sponsor of this year’s Singapore Open badminton championships.

The dates for the MetLife Badminton World Federation (BWF) Superseries meet have also been moved from its usual June slot to April 8 to 13 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

It is understood that OUE’s title sponsorship is worth a six-figure sum for a year, with a view to renewing it.

But total prize money for this year’s tournament, which counts former Olympic and world champion Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia and Thailand’s Boonsak Ponsana as former winners, has also risen to US$300,000 from US$250,000 last year.

“Through our title sponsorship, we at OUE hope to contribute to the development of badminton in Singapore and expose local players to international competition at the highest level,” said OUE Limited Executive Chairman Stephen Riady, who is also a Patron of SBA.

Added Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) President Lee Yi Shyan: “We hope that by partnering OUE, we will further enhance the sport and Singapore Open 2014 by bringing a better and new experience for the fans.”

The SBA, which organises the Singapore Open, and OUE have also lined up a series of corporate social responsibility initiatives to help promote the sport.

The first will be rolled out on Feb 21 with a donative drive, where the SBA hope the public can donate new and used badminton equipment for those who are less-privileged. The collection point at the Mandarin Gallery Level 2 concierge.

The OUE Singapore Open will be the fifth-stop in this year’s MetLife BWF World Championship Superseries, with tickets going on sale from Feb 17 at sportshubtix.com.

Visit singaporebadminton.org.sg for further details.